Download Exploring Psychological Desire and Craving Through First-Person Experience Sampling

Exploring Psychological Desire and Craving Through First-Person Experience Sampling
Nicole Rodis, Alexa Henriques, Paul Condon, Christine Wilson-Mendenhall, Wendy Hasenkamp, Lisa Feldman Barrett
ABSTRACT
Buddhist philosophy provides novel theoretical insights into the relationship between
desire and well-being. It suggests that destructive desires and cravings result from
attaching to a particular self-concept. An autonomous view of “self” supports recurring
“self-focused” desires that only bring temporary pleasure and detract from
psychological well-being. Recognizing that the “self” is a fluid and changing concept,
however, can lead to “self-transcendent” desires that promote well-being. This research
uses first-person experience sampling to examine people’s daily experiences of desire
and how these experiences are related to well-being. Whereas previous studies using
this sampling method have focused on immediate biological or material desires, this
research expands the focus to include more psychological “self-focused” and “selftranscendent” desires. An initial online study we conducted asked 121 participants
“What do you want most right now, if anything?” We coded responses as biological
(involving food, sleep, sex, health), material (involving money, material goods),
psychological (involving lifestyle, well-being, less stress, achievement), or social
(involving interacting with others). Many participants reported psychological desires
(35%), while other participants reported material desires (35%), biological desires
(21%), or social desires (8%). Furthermore, a small proportion of participants reported
more “self-transcendent” desires directed towards another person (7%). To further
examine desire and its relation to well-being in daily life, a smartphone application is
being developed, in which participants report on their current desires, emotions, and
stress at random points during their day for several weeks. This study will examine the
relationship between desire and psychological well-being more directly.
METHODS
DISCUSSION
➔ Mechanical Turk
◆ Posted a questionnaire task on the online system
◆ Participants received payment to complete the task
◆ Allowed for diverse sample of participants
➔ Previous research on desire has focused on the experience of concrete desires
➔ Our questionnaire data suggests that people experience abstract/psychological desires
and that a majority of all desires were “self-focused”
➔ Questionnaire
◆ Participants answered four questions
● First question: “What do you want most right now (if anything)?”
● Further questions elaborated on intensity of their desire and affect
➔ A majority of participants wanted to change their current experience which supports the
Buddhist idea that “self-focused” desires leads to unsatisfactoriness
➔ Coding Procedure
◆ Desire responses were coded according to four categories:
● Biological (involving food, sleep, sex, health)
● Material (involving money, material goods)
● Psychological (involving experiences related to lifestyle, well-being, less stress,
achievement)
● Social (involving interacting with others)
◆ Desire responses were also differentiated based on focus on self or others
◆ Coding procedure demonstrates good inter-rater reliability (79%). Discrepancies were resolved
through discussion by all three coders
➔ Future research will strive to establish the link between the experience of “self-focused”
vs. “self-transcendent” desires and how they influence well-being
➔ To investigate this link, we will use a customized smartphone app to assess experience
in daily life.
◆ Participants will be alerted randomly throughout the day
◆ They will be prompted to answer questions regarding what they want in that moment
◆ They will answer questions regarding how they feel in that moment
◆ After a certain number of responses, participants will receive feedback on their
results in the form of graphs
◆ Data will reflect a diverse population and daily experiences of wanting and well-being
RESULTS
MECHANICAL TURK
INTRODUCTION
➔ Western psychology defines desire as the subjective experience of wanting.
Empirical attention on desire has focused mainly on biological or material desires
that provide immediate gratification (eating, sleeping, spending) (Hoffmann, Vohs, &
Baumeister, 2012). This focus, however, does not appear to include other
abstract/psychological desires experienced in everyday life.
Percentages of responses
in each primary category
of desire
◆ Biological
◆ Material
◆ Psychological
◆ Social
Percentages of desire
regarding self versus other
“I want my children to be happy
and safe”
“I want nothing more than to have
my son’s surgery be successful”
➔ Buddhist philosophy broadens the focus to include all types of desires as well as the
origin of our “self-focused” wants. These recurring desires arise from an autonomous
view of the “self” that can detract from psychological well-being (Ekman et al., 2005).
➔ To fulfill our “self-focused” desires, we cling to objects, situations and activities that
support the notion of self as a source of happiness. These desires prove to be
destructive because they only provide a short term fix. This creates a cycle of desires
that is characterized by restlessness, grasping, anxiety, and unsatisfactoriness
(Varela et al., 1991).
● For example, wanting a pay raise or a good grade may cause momentary
satisfaction, but ultimately it is not sustainable.
Social (8%)
Psychological (35%)
“I want to be at ease socializing
with people”
“I want to be a famous vocalist in
a metal band”
“A relationship with my father.
For him to realize how stubborn
and mistaken he is about many
things”
“I want to be self-employed and
have more free time”
“I want some peace in my life”
“Family time”
➔ Elimination of desires is not the ultimate goal of Buddhist philosophy, however,
because self-transcendent desires that concern the well-being of others can promote
flourishing (Ekman et al., 2005).
DEMOGRAPHICS
➔ Shifting the empirical focus to momentary subjective experience of desire will provide
a more nuanced view of the varying types and intensities of desires of different
people. This research may help explain mental and physical health outcomes of
desire.
GOALS
REFERENCES
The research involving first-person experience sampling of desire aims to answer the
following questions:
Ekman, P., Davidson, R.J., Ricard, M., & Wallace, B.A. (2005). Buddhist and psychological perspectives on emotions and well-being. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 14(2), 59-63.
Hoffman, W., Vohs, K.D., Baumeister, R.F. (2012). What people desire, feel conflicted about, and try to resist in everyday life. Psychological Science, 23(6),
582-588.
➔ How do we characterize the desires of diverse individuals?
➔ How do we understand when desire promotes well-being and hinders well-being?
Varela, F.J., Thompson, E., Rosch, E. (1991). The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and human experience. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
64% of all participants wanted to change their experience
6% of participants reported Hispanic ethnicity
Wallace, B.A., & Shapiro, S.L. (2006). Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and western psychology. American Psychologist,
61(7), 690-701.